Mosley Lane
by Athese
Summary: "It was the moment the door had opened, and my brothers ran into the room I noticed how much responsibility had rested upon my shoulders, a burden that was suddenly lifted from my shoulders after all this time. I knew it was finally over, and they couldn't hurt us anymore". Mikey-centric, (psychological) torture and kidnapping.
1. Chapter 1

I never thought I'd be the one taking the lead, or the one to carry all the responsibility, but eventually I did. Then again, I had never been the oldest. I had three older brothers, not like I hated being the youngest brother. I just never liked having responsibility, it just wasn't how I was. I was laid-back, not really serious at times.

I had never really taken the responsibility, always having three older brothers to rely on. And frankly I always thought it would be hard to be the one taking the lead. Turned out, it really wasn't. The moment I became aware of the situation I had immediately taken it upon me to after them. I knew that it was my job as the oldest to look after them.

But it wasn't the moment the door had opened, and my brothers ran into the room I noticed how much responsibility had rested upon my shoulder, a burden that was suddenly lifted from my shoulders. I knew it was finally over. And now I understood Leo's drive to protect all of us, even after he got injured or anything along those lines, because he was responsible.

Just as I was responsible for them.

I have no idea how long it'd been since that day, but I've heard the fireworks some days ago, so I roughly knew how much time had passed, _roughly_. But it hadn't mattered, two weeks, 2 months, 2 hours, it always felt like an eternity. Especially when you had to look after people you grew to care about. People that had been taken away from you countless of times.

I knew I would never forget the look on my brothers' faces, the horrified looks when they saw the state I was in, when they saw my face, so I did the only thing I could think of.

"Took you long enough dudes, I've been waiting" _Joke._ I could hear Raph snorting, immediately pulling me into a crushing hug. I blinked past the tears that were now threatening to slip past my eyes. Despite my blurred vision I could see paramedics standing in the door opening. I wasn't deadly injured, none us were, so they left us alone for now.

"Let's get out of here bonehead, you reek"

This time I was the one to snort at Raph's comment. The obvious concern and relief was a dead giveaway that he didn't really mean what he just said, but it wouldn't have mattered, I knew my older brother, I knew how much he cared. I reluctantly released him, punching his shoulder lightly and giving him a smile. Doubt flashed in Raph's eyes, and his green orbs scanned me briefly.

I knew what he wanted to know though, how I could still be so calm after everything that had happened. And to be honest, I didn't really know myself, probably the euphoria of having my brothers with me. I didn't feel panic at the moment.

"Don't touch her!" _Until now._ My hand was on top of my mouth not even seconds after the sentence left my mouth, even muffling the last letter slightly, but I was too late. Leo's hand immediately froze mid-way, flashing his eyes towards me. My heart was loudly beating in my chest but I pushed past it, and past my older brother.

Uncertain shuffling was behind me, and I knew that Leo was slowly backing away but I ignored it.

"Hey.. wake up" I whispered, shaking Allison's shoulder lightly, the bed she was on creaking slightly at the movement. How she hadn't woken up from all the commotion is a mystery I most likely won't be able to solve. She blinked a couple of times, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands.

"Daddy?" She questioned and I smiled slightly.

"Yea, I'm here" I could feel eyes burn into my bruised back but I ignored them. I gently brushed Allison's fair hair out of her face, placing my hands under her armpits and easily hosting her up. She whimpered slightly and buried her head in my shoulder. Her hair tickled slightly against my shoulder but for now I needed it, I reminded me of the responsibility I had taken upon me.

And that I hadn't failed her.

I turned around, looking into my older brother's eyes while completely ignoring the stares I was getting from Don and Raph, Leo was also looking at me with _that_ look. But unlike Don and Raph, he was trying to cover it up, the keyword being trying. Because I could see right through him. They were all struggling to hold back their tears.

"Did Rachel sent you?" I ask straightforward, walking towards the door, just wanting to get out of this place. Raph, although still confused about what is happening, puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. I smile at him, knowing it's finally over.

"She did, she's outside waiting for you two. She's physically okay though, bruises and some scratches and tired, but she insisted on going with us" That's why I preferred Raph during these times, as much as I appreciated Leo and Don wanting to protect me, I hated when they danced around the subject. Right now I just wanted to know how Rachel was doing, and I was glad Raph was honest with me.

It surprised me actually how calm my bros seemed, after all this time. I could see they wanted to cry, I knew they wanted to attack me with hugs, hugs I had missed so much during my 'captivity'. But Rachel had probably told them about everything, and they had most likely seen what they shouldn't do with someone who has been through so much.

"And .. uhm .. you know." I said, feeling panic bubble up inside of me again.

"The police caught them just before the border, don't worry, they won't be able to hurt you anymore" I nodded again, blinking as bright sunlight hit my eyes, sunlight that I hadn't seen for a while. I shook my head slightly, looking down at the 8 years old child in my arms.

 _I was never afraid they'd hurt me, I was afraid they would hurt her, them._

* * *

 _"_ _I want my mommy" She whispered, too afraid to raise her voice. Afraid that they might hear her. I gritted my teeth, wiping away the tears in my eyes as I walked over to her, awkwardly picking her up. She immediately nestled against me, which made me smile despite the situation._

 _"_ _I know you do, but I can't get her right now" I whispered to her, making myself comfortable. Not like I was able to get comfortable. I fearfully glanced over to the other bed, where Rachel was seated. Her hands were bailed into fists and she was shaking, although she was trying to cover it up, the fear was radiating off of her in big waves._

 _She swallowed harshly, not moving a single muscle apart from the light tremble. I knew it was coming, but still I practically jumped out of my skin when the door opened again, revealing a woman with blond hair, the one that knocked me out a few hours ago, kidnapped me. I swallowed harshly, reminding myself that she wouldn't hurt us if we behaved._

 _If we pretended._

 _She walked over to Rachel, sitting behind her. Rachel stiffened when the bed moved under the added weight but she never moved, never dared to make a single sound. She had told her not to move, she had threatened her, she had hit her, so she didn't move. She obeyed._

 _"_ _What did you do to your hair Maddy?" The woman said, shaking her head as she started to brush it gently. Rachel had winced a couple of times when the woman put a brush through her hair but never said anything. Didn't say anything about how it hurt, or that Maddy wasn't her name. She didn't say anything, she behaved like Maddy would._

 _"_ _Now you're beautiful again, my daughter" The woman said after a while, smiling as her fingers brushed through Rachel's brown hair. I had to shut my mouth to stop myself from calling out, telling this crazy woman that she wasn't her daughter, and that Allison wasn't her daughter, and that I wasn't her son. That her children were dead._

TMNT

They tried to take Allison from me, they tried to coax Rachel into going with them, but none of them left my side, ever. Not after everything we've been through with the three of us. Not after all the shit _they_ have put us through. Like hell they were going to separate me from them. We were currently in the hospital, and doctors were constantly running in an outside the room, and it annoyed me to no end.

I just wanted to be left alone right now.

But I couldn't really blame them at the same time. I had refused to look at my face but I knew, and I had heard, how it looked. My whole left side of my face was filled with bruises and my eye was coloured red. My ring finger was currently taped to my middle finger, apparently I had broken it when they beat the shit out of me. I was glad they did, it was worth it.

It wasn't until they had completely assessed our wounds that they finally left us alone.

"What is gonna happen now?" Rachel whispered, her bright blue eyes flashing over to me. She was huddled tightly inside a blanket, a blanket I recognised from home. One of my bros must've brought it with him. Her arms were bandaged but the scratches weren't that bad luckily. I sighed, rubbing my head slightly with my free hand.

"I don't know.." I said doubtfully. "But we're going to get through this together, I promise" I added when Rachel's face fell. And it were moments like these that I remembered that this girl was only 12 years old, and had been put through so much already. Of course it hadn't been easy for me either, but I was 4 years older, I was a trained ninja, but unfortunately _they_ knew that as well.

There was a soft knock on the door, causing both of us to look up, and I wasn't embarrassed to admit the fear I felt for a split-second at the sudden noise, the same noise the woman would make when she entered the room. However I immediately relaxed when I saw my dad standing in the door opening.

"Hey dad" I said, tearing up slightly. Maybe that was the biggest difference between me and Leo. During the time I was gone, I found out what Leo had to go through on a daily basis, being our big brother and all. But unlike him, I wasn't afraid to show when I was down, or to show my fears. It was something I learned when I was with _those_ people, we helped each other. Rachel had often comforted me back there, heck even Allison had.

Dad didn't say anything, and silently walked up to me. He was cautious, I could recognise his movements, and I hated it. Of course he knew what had happened, maybe he was afraid to be a dad to me, since my previous 'dad' hadn't been too kind to me. But I didn't feel the same way, that man had never been dad to me, no matter how many times he had called me his son, no matter how much I had pretended to be Peter.

Rachel seemed to notice my dad approaching and she carefully reached out for Allison, taking her from me. I shot her a grateful smile before I wrapped my arms around my father, burying my face in his shoulder. And I cried. Before the kidnapping, the beatings, and the psychological torture, I would've been embarrassed to cry, right now I truly didn't care.

Not at this moment, not ever.

* * *

 _I still don't really know how we got our hands on the knife, but at that time it didn't matter anymore, because we had a knife. We could've stabbed them of course, after all the shit they've put Allison and Rachel through I had no problem with killing them if that meant setting them free. The only problem was the fact that they knew what we could do._

 _Ever since my failed escape attempt they were cautious, never entering the room with the two of them. Or even the fence that was placed in between the two doors. One door leading to our room, and the other one leading to the staircase. They always closed it when one of them came to us. And one always stayed behind._

 _So we came up with a plan to sneak one of us through the fence._

 _It had happened one time before, but that a complete accident. Two weeks after I had been taken, I had gotten really sick, and they had taken me upstairs to look after me. It disgusted me to think back actually, being fed, being bathed after I had vomited, and all the cuddling. But when we got the knife I saw it as a blessing._

 _Because they had left me alone._

 _I knew they'd leave her alone when she got 'sick'. Watching how Rachel had put a finger inside her own mouth certainly hadn't been pleasant, but I knew it was necessary, it had to look convincing after all. The woman had, as predicted, immediately taken Rachel upstairs after she came downstairs._

 _"_ _Daddy, will it work?" Allison whispered against me. I knew she was worried about Rachel, just like me. We never liked it when we were separated. We were like family right now, Rachel and Allison were my little sisters, and I was their big brother. But it had to be done right now, I'd rather be separated if it meant getting us out._

 _So we waited._

 _A smile tugged on my lips when I heard screaming upstairs after what seemed like hours. Frantic voices, calling out for their daughter, calling for Madilyn, Maddy. It was that moment that I knew it had worked. And I knew they were going to blame Peter. It was a part of the plan I hadn't told Rachel, because she would've never agreed to it if she knew. And that's why I never told her._

 _It was also the reason I had agreed to her getting 'sick'. Not because she could pick locks with just a knife, because I could do so to, but because I knew what they were going to do once they noticed one of their children were gone._

 _"_ _Hey, I want you to sit on the bed, and cover your ears for now okay? Don't look until I tell you to" I say, putting Allison down. She nodded in confusion, not knowing why I was asking her to do such a thing but she wouldn't question me, ever. With stiff muscles I walked over to the middle of the room, giving one assuring nod to Allison before turning to the door._

 _My little sister was huddled in the corner, folding the blanket around her. Her hands were on top of her ears but as soon as I had turned towards her, she had closed her eyes. Through the door I could see the fence, and the door leading to the staircase, but most importantly Mr. Lewis coming right through the door, and unlocking the fence._

 _"_ _Where is she?! What did you say to your sister?!" Mr. Lewis bellowed, unlocking the last door. A strong hand reached for my collar, pulling me closer._

 _"_ _I haven't told her anything, dad" I told him calmly, the last word mockingly. Mr. Lewis narrowed his eyes, and so did I._

 _"_ _TELL ME THE TRUTH PETER! WHERE IS YOUR SISTER?!" He roared, and then the first hit came. His fist harshly hit the left side of my face and my head snapped to the right. Tears of pain jumped in my eyes but I bit them back, looking back._

 _"_ _She's not my sister you sicko. She isn't even your daughter. Maddy is dead" I responded, my voice still oddly calm. The second hit followed soon after my comment, and I fell to the ground. I knew it was pointless to fight back, they wouldn't care. The woman wouldn't care, they only cared about their children._

 _So even if I had her husband at gunpoint, she wouldn't open the fence. Even if I put a bullet through his head, she would never open the fence. She would wait for days, until we were too thirsty, and too hungry to fight back. So I let him, taking the beating as some twisted victory. Because every punch reminded me that Rachel got out._

* * *

"It isn't bad, besides, it was worth it" I tried to assure Rachel, wincing as her fingers traced along the bruises that decorated my face. Rachel suddenly recoiled from the touch, bringing her hands back to her lap.

"You got hurt" She whispered, mindlessly playing with the white blanket that was covering her body. She refused to look at me, staring at her own hands instead.

"I did" I said in a soft tone. "But I don't regret it, you got out, you managed to get to the police station. That's why we are here right now. Free" Finally she dared to look up again, our eyes meeting. Two pair of bright blue eyes. The same eye colour Maddy and Peter had.

"I'm sorry it took me so long Mikey, I really tried.. but we were so far from everyone… I was scared so I hid from every car that approached me. It wasn't until I recognised New York that I dared to approach someone" I nodded at her story, feeling regret burning in my stomach. I had sent a 12 year old to walk all the way towards New York, she had walked for 2 whole days before she arrived.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Rae, you got us out" I said, smiling. She luckily smiled back, only to be interrupted by a loud yawn. "Get some sleep, it's been a long day" I tell her, before standing up and walking up to the door. Of course she'd be tired after everything. She hadn't slept in a long time. She arrived at the station at 4 in the morning, not having slept since the previous night.

And it took them 2 hours to calm her down, and for her too give them enough information to work with. She didn't know where they kept us, so she had to describe the place. The police eventually managed to pinpoint the exact location after an hour, not based on the description of the house, but because they could match the names, Peter Lewis, Madilyn Lewis and Jessy Lewis.

But Rachel was strong, and she got us out. I was so relieved she made it. But in no way did it make up for all the deaths that the family had already caused, and all the loss.

Not physical loss, but they took away our time. Allison was the lucky one here. She had been here for only two months. It seemed like such a short time. Rachel had been taken when she was 11. And here I stood, walking along the hallway to the room where my family was. They had changed, but I had instantly recognized them.

Even if I had been 12 the last time I had seen them.

* * *

I cried, and so did my brothers. Wet tears were staining my shirt, wet tears were staining their shirts. And none of us cared. We cried for the loss of time, 4 whole years. I finally broke down right then and there. Allison had been reunited with her mother, Rachel was finally asleep, the responsibility wasn't there anymore.

So I finally broke down.

It never occurred to me to cry, and even when Leo, Don and Raph had wrapped their arms around me did I think of crying. It was only after I felt the first tears that I suddenly broke. Suddenly something broke, and I wasn't even aware that it could break until it did. I didn't know that I had built all those tears, all those years.

I cried.

I cried for Rachel, who hadn't been there to say goodbye to her grandma, her only family. I cried for Allison, who had been taken for 2 months, I cried for Maddy, Peter and Jessy, who had died when they were kidnapped 7 years ago. I cried for the previous 'Peter's', Boys I never got to know, who were killed before Mr. and Mrs. Lewis needed a new one.

I cried for the 2 Jessy's I will never see again, I cried for the 3 Maddy's who didn't live long enough to get the knife. I cried for the remaining family who finally knew who killed their kid. I cried for myself. For my brothers who had to live without their little brother for 4 years, who didn't know if I was still alive, I cried for my father, who had sworn that he would protect the four of us when mom died when we were toddlers. I cried for my family.

I cried tears of joy.

* * *

Okay after watching and old episode of Criminal minds I just had to write this. It wasn't even the episode where this was based on, but it suddenly reminded me of the right episode, and I just wanted to write it so badly.

True story though, after I had written it I wanted to look for the episode again to see if I could add something, and then I actually found out that the little girl was really called Allison… no joke. And it's been .. I don't know.. 5 years since I've seen that episode? The episode is called Mosley Lane, for anyone who is interested.

And please tell me what you think! :D


	2. Chapter 2

So many have asked for me to continue this story, and it was 100% planned as an one-shot, but I just had so much inspiration after so many of you asked for more. What happened all those years, what will happen after etc. So after the two-year anniversary of this story, I just decided to write it. So this chapter is updated waaaaayyy after the one-shot, so if you still remember it, you're awesome! (Oneshot posted on Nov 29th, 2015, this chapter was published on April 2nd, 2018. Well over 2 years later ^^)

21st May, 2014. 15:36

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Raph whispers softly, looking at his immediate younger brother before looking in front of him again. He saw Don shake his head but he only looked in front. Mikey took a shuddering breath, ghosting his fingers along the walls that were carved in, running his nails along the edges and cringing slightly.

"They took our paper away, so we carved in the walls instead" Mikey whispers, not looking at his oldest brother who was next to him.

"Is this when.. the others didn't make it?" Leo asks softly, trying to get Mikey to look at him, but so far he didn't have much luck, Mikey refused to meet his eyes.

"So we wouldn't forget" He whispers, a tear appearing in his eye. "I didn't want to be forgotten if I would… if I wouldn't survive, for you guys, so you would know I was here, so we carved it in the wall after another Maddy died, or after another Jessy died" He explains and Leo nods softly, reaching out carefully.

Mikey flinches at the gesture but Leo doesn't stop, wrapping his arms around Mikey, who leaned into the embrace once he realised it was Leo who tried to hug him. Mikey didn't bury his face, he pressed his cheek in Leo's chest, looking at the wall with somber eyes, tears silently flowing down his cheeks.

Leo was sickened by the amount of dates on the wall, otherwise so carefully hidden by one of the beds, but Mikey could only stare at the 6 dates, 6 dates after the 21st of November 2009, the day he got kidnapped. He hadn't known the other Peter's, had only heard stories about them.

But he had known 3 Maddy's and 2 Jessy's, and he had seen one Jessy die, just a day after his kidnapping.

And he would never see them again.

TMNT

14th May, 2014. 01:34

"Leo?" A small voice suddenly woke me up. I blink warily, sitting up in bed and looking at the door, now open and showing a faint shadow of my littlest brother.

"What's wrong?" I ask with a frown, rubbing my eyes to get a clearer look at him. He wore his pyjama pants and shirt, showing off all the bruises that were still in the process of healing, his entire face filled with dark blue and purple bruises, his eye still red from the beatings Mr and Mrs Lewis gave him a few days ago.

"I-I.. Can I sleep with you?" He asks and immediately my face softens. "I mean.. I haven't… haven't slept alone in four years.. we were always with three, or two… or I couldn't ... I j-just can't seem to fall asleep. And I'm-"

"Mikey" I gently interrupt him, his eyes widen before I lift my covers. "Get in" I say, gesturing him to come forwards. He hesitates for a moment, arms still wrapped tightly around his body as a way to protect himself before he carefully walks over to one side of the bed, crawling into the huge bed that was almost meant for 2 people.

I smile, silently thanking dad for allowing us to get bigger beds once we got a bit older.

But still after Mikey disappeared. My little brother lays down on his side, facing me with wide and curious eyes.

"You changed" He whispers after a moment of silence and I frown slightly before I realise what he was talking about. The fact that I did, indeed, change in the last 4 years. The fact that I hit puberty just after he was taken from us, the fact that I had grown significantly and was now towering over him.

The fact that we continued training, and that both me and Raph got a whole lot of muscle mass whereas Mikey wasn't even given the chance to even try to do the same thing. Don had never been as interested in working out with heavy weights, just like Mikey he had always loved running more.

But in general, he had always been the odd one out with working out. Both Raph, Mikey and me loved working out, Mikey preferring running over strength, but Don had generally always preferred experimenting and researching over working out. Didn't mean he didn't love it at all.

And right now, even Don had more muscle mass than Mikey had. And that was saying something.

"You did too" I whisper and he looks down, swallowing. "You don't have to say anything, but do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to remember it" He answers honestly, and I nod softly. I understood that he didn't, and for now I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that it would be better for him to do talk about his experience in that place. He looks at me again, tears suddenly in his eyes, threatening to fall.

"Oh baby bro" I reach out, bringing him closer to my chest. He stiffens for a moment before slowly relaxing, burying his face in my chest. I smile gently, closing my eyes in content. 4 years, 4 years and 7 months, it had been since I last held him, since I last comforted him in our own house.

Mikey doesn't say anything in the embrace, but after minutes I could feel his breathing evening out, and I knew he had fallen asleep.

TMNT

21st May, 2014. 18:45

"There were so many names dad, he knew 7 of them" Don whispers, tightening his hands around the cup of tea, taking a deep breath.

"Does the police know about the wall?" Dad asks and I look to my immediate younger brother with sorrow in my eyes.

"They do know now Mikey showed them" I mutter, crossing my arms over each other. "Those parents were sick dad, 5 kids died when Mikey looked after them" I snap, leaving out the last part of the sentence, _it broke him_. It broke my littlest brother, seeing everyone he cared about die before his own eyes.

Failing the ones he swore to protect, he failed all these little girls.

We still didn't know why they died, how they died and who was responsible for their deaths. But one thing was clear, Mikey was attached to all of them, just as those younger girls were attached to him because they were all forced into a horrible experience where they only had each other to comfort each other.

And then slowly, one of them died, and the other, and the replacements died as well. Over and over again.

"We are already looking for the right person for him to talk about it" Dad tries to assure me but I shake my head, sliding down the wall I was leaning against and staring out of the window that was next to me with tears in my eyes.

"So far he has refuses to talk about it" I mutter angrily and I stiffen when I feel a figure sit down next to me. Much to my surprise, it's Don.

"It's normal" He states, swallowing thickly. "Many victims need time to… get used to being free. He will talk when he's ready" I scowl at him. He knew too much about this. Ever since Mikey got kidnapped when we just turned 12, Don had thrown himself into becoming a CSI, to solve cases like this.

Not just to find Mikey, but also to prevent it from happening to other families. He wanted to avoid the lost we felt.

"He is already warming up to us my son, give him time" Dad spoke, kneeling in front of me and putting a hand on my knee. I look up, cracking a small smile at his smile.

"I hope you're right" I whisper, not trusting my voice to go any louder right now. Don snorts next to me, wrapping an arm around me. I don't protest, something I would've done before we found Mikey.

May 12th, 2014. 9:03

"Hello?" Dad answers the phone. I look up from my bowl of cereal, munching on it while trying to listen to the conversation. Dad frowns, nodding silently before his eyes go wide. "Is she certain?" He asks, whirling around to look at me with wide eyes. "Get your brothers, right now" He commands, immediately turning around again.

I don't hesitate, don't question his commands because it was obvious that whatever he had heard, was disturbing and needed immediate attention. I drop my spoon in my bowl, getting off my chair before sprinting upstairs.

"Don Raph!" I holler, opening Don's door as that was closest to the stairs.

"Leo, what the hell?!" Don exclaims, sitting up in his bed, sill in his pyjamas. "What is going on?"

"I-I don't know, dad is on the phone and he looked really disturbed, he said to come get you guys" I quickly explain and his expression softens a bit. "Get dressed" I say, gesturing to his current outfit before turning back and walking towards Raph's room, but when I opened the door, Raph was already standing up.

"What the fuck Leo" Raph snapped, looking annoyed.

"Don't shoot the messenger Raph" I shot back. "Dad is on the phone, he said to come get you guys, I think it's something bad" I inform him, and just like Don, his expression softens and he nods. He walks over to his closet, quickly putting on pants and a clean shirt before walking up to me.

We silently exit his room, just as Don exited his own room as well. We all practically sprint down the stairs, only to see dad already wearing his jacket and holding his keys.

"Dad?" Don asks, being the first one to go down the stairs, and he walks up to our father.

"We gotta go now" Dad spoke, opening the front door. I frown, looking at Raph but he looks just as confused as I was. But we quickly follow dad out of the door, out of the building we were living in and into the garage to get the car. Which was one of the many signs that something was terribly off.

Dad rarely took the car, he preferred to walk, and take the bus if the distance was too much to cover on foot, or if he was in a hurry. Only in desperate times did he take the car. Ever since Don, Raph and me got our license, the car had been used more and more, but it was still rare to drive.

"Dad" I state softly, putting a hand on his shaking one. He looks up with haunted eyes. "I'll drive" I speak up, slowly taking the keys from him and he nods, hurrying to the other side of the car as I climb behind the wheel. Both Raph and Don climb in the back of the car, and I start the car before they can even get their seatbelts on.

"Where to?" I ask and dad is silent for a bit.

"The police station" He answers and I frown.

"Why the police station?" I ask, my brain working overtime to figure out what could've possibly happened. We didn't have a lot of living relatives left, only an aunt from our mother's side of the family, and a son. But it didn't make sense, why would they send us to the police station, if something happened to them?

An accident or something like that. But they didn't even live near New York, it wouldn't make sense to send us to a police station in New York if something were to happen to them.

"They think they found Michelangelo"

The car comes to a screeching stop, wheels slipping on the pavement and a car behind us jerking the wheel to the left to avoid hitting our car.

"What?!" Raph snaps before I could voice my own thoughts, breathing heavily and trying to calm myself down.

"Please continue driving Leonardo, safely" Dad whispers, looking in the mirror to look at Raph and Don. I nod numbly, slapping my cheeks twice before driving again.

"Are they sure?" Don whispers and dad shakes his head.

"They are not sure, but a girl has walked into the station 30 minutes ago, she claims to have been captured with two others, one of them being Michelangelo"

"She escaped?" I ask and this time dad nods.

"She claims she has escaped, and walked over to New York"

"Could it really be him?" I could hear Don ask in a low voice, almost a whisper, clearly directed at Raph. The latter doesn't answer immediately, I look back at him for a split second. His eyes were wide with fear and yet also hope, and for a second our eyes lock before I turn them on the road again.

"Would he even be the same?" Don voices, dares to speak what we were probably all thinking. How would these last four years have affected him? Who kidnapped him, and how did they treat him? He was old enough, so they couldn't have raised him as their own or something like that.

So the most obvious answer was that they kept him locked up. And we knew that there was at least one other girl.

None of us spoke another word, none of us able to answer Don's question, and none of us having any desire to really speak at all. It took us 10 minutes to drive to the police station, and I didn't really bother parking nicely or checking if we were allowed to park in that particular place, I just took the first place I saw.

TMNT

May 12th, 2014. 9:36

"Rachel? There are some people who would like to meet you" The nurse who led us to one of the rooms announced, opening the door just enough for her to peek inside the room. No answer came from the other door, but the nurse slowly opened the door all the way, motioning us to enter.

"Who are you?" The girl, Rachel asks, a sceptic look on her face.

"The police said you stated you weren't alone during your capture" Dad spoke, and I look at her with the same sceptic look on my face. For all we know, she could be lying, or she was confused because of her capture. But the moment dad spoke that particular sentence, her eyes widened.

"Oh god, you're Mikey's family" She exclaims, a little tension draining from her body.

"You recognise us?" I ask timidly and she nods almost excitedly.

"Mikey talks about you guys, we all talk about our families, to remember them." Rachel confirms.

"H-He's alive?" Don stammers at the sentence but Rachel's face falls.

"I'm not sure to be honest. He was.. when I escaped, they must know he helped me" Rachel spoke, a fearful look on her face as she catches Don's gaze. "They've killed others for less"

"Others?" I ask softly, taking a hesitant step forwards but Rachel doesn't look scared, so I slowly walk over to her, taking a chair and sitting in front of her. Rachel gazes at me, still not fully comfortable but she doesn't seem scared because of my presence. _Was it because she knew I was Mikey's brother?_

Rachels swallows painfully, nodding. "The couple that took us.. lost their three children some time ago, they started kidnapping others to.. substitute them I guess" Rachel said, anger lingering in her voice. "2 months ago they killed Robyn, Allison took her place"

"Back up" Raph interrupts, also walking over to Rachel but I quickly put out a hand, stopping him from getting too close. Rachel, however, doesn't seem too scared. "Who is Robyn, and who is Allison?"

"Robyn and Allison were both Jessy, the youngest daughter of the parents who took us. The children were Peter, Maddy and Jessy. When they killed Robyn, they took Allison, she's been with us for 2 months." Rachel explains, rubbing her arms and shuddered slightly.

"You saw her get killed?" I ask softly, and Rachel nods.

"Robyn.. we think she had a mental illness, she couldn't handle the situation at all. Mikey thinks that the stress caused her hair to fall out, after a year the woman noticed it and.. killed her for not being pretty enough to be Jessy" Rachel explains and I can feel tears fill my eyes and I carefully reach out, taking her hand.

"How many did Mikey see?" I ask, not even sure if Rachel knew the answer to that question. She looks up, sorrow and guilt in her eyes.

"Six" She answers. "3 Maddy's and 3 Jessy's" I look down, turning my head away from her as I feel tears slide down my cheeks. He saw 6 people die, right in front of him. Or at least, I supposed it was right in front of him. Either way, one was already enough to traumatise him for life.

Rachel squeezes my hand softly. "Mikey is strong.. he helped me survive that place.. both physically and emotionally" She tells me and I laugh slightly, wiping away my tears. I was about to say something else but the door was suddenly opened, revealing an officer that greeted us when we just arrived.

"They figured out who took her, they are going to the location right now" He said and I could feel my heart jump. They knew where Mikey was… we were going to see our baby brother again.

"I want to come" Rachel states, standing up despite the obvious injuries she had.

"Rachel.. is that a good idea?" The officer spoke gently but I stand up as well.

"We're all coming with you" I said, and Rachel flashes me a grateful smile. The officer sighs, shaking his head.

"Then you better have a car with you, we don't have enough places for 5 more people" He mutters before turning around and leaving. I smile at Rachel, wrapping an arm around her and leading her to the front of the station where our car was parked, making sure dad, Raph and Don were all behind me and following.

We were going to get Mikey out of there.


	3. Chapter 3

May 12th, 2014. 10:59

"This is the house?" I ask softly, still sitting next to Rachel in the car. She nods, swallowing thickly. We carefully step outside, a few policemen surrounding us, protecting us as another group walks over to the house, circling it with guns pointed at either side, scouting the house before kicking in one of the doors.

The wait was agonising, and I unconsciously take a step forwards.

"The house is empty" One officer announces, looking in my direction. I look at Rachel, before looking at my brothers. Raph was the first one to directly disobey orders, running after the officers that were now walking into the house.

"Raph!" I scream, whirling around to face Rachel. "Stay here" I order, running after Raph into the house. Not merely because I was chasing Raph, but because I had the same idea, go into the house to see Mikey. See if he was okay, alive, breathing. And to hug him the moment we'd see him.

But that was all thrown through the window the moment I saw Raph standing still.

I ran to him, stopping next to him, and I immediately understood what had made him so hesitant. What had made him not continue his pursue. It was a room in the basement. Once you came down the staircase there were two doors, fences were more like it, but now both unlocked and open.

There was a long corridor, and I couldn't see all the doors that were in the hall. But it didn't matter, I had only paid attention to the one door that was open, the one door Raph had burst through. In the midst of the room was Mikey, even after 4 years, I could recognise him in an instant.

"Took you long enough dudes, I've been waiting" He croaks after what feels like an eternity of awkward silence. I wince slightly, his whole face was swollen, black and blue from the bruising. And he seemed so thin, unhealthy. And his bright blue eyes, once filled with life, were haunted.

Raph was the first one to react, pulling Mikey into a crushing hug, and snorting. My gaze falls on the other figure in the room, a still sleeping girl, fair hair and back turned to the rest of us. I glance at Raph and Mikey for a second, sensing Don just behind me before walking over to the girl cautiously.

"Let's get out of here bonehead, you reek" I heard Raph say behind me and a soft laughing sound coming from Mikey. I reach out softly, almost touching her shoulder.

"Don't touch her!" Mikey suddenly screamed and I immediately jerk my head around, bringing my arm back as Mikey brushes past me.

I guess that was the first moment I truly realised how close Mikey was with both Rachel and Allison. How close he had been to everyone. Allison had only been kidnapped for 2 months, but Mikey was already too protective of her, willing to scream at me to leave her alone, not trusting _me_ to help her.

May 21th, 2014. 20:58

I sigh, brushing my finger over the screen and looking at the picture with a heavy heart. Every name, every girl Mikey had known in these past 4 years, written into the wall. So carefully written like one wrong move would make the wall crumble. I could recognise Mikey's handwriting, on all 6 of them.

It made sense, Mikey was Peter over there, the oldest son. And therefore also the one who had lived the longest. He was taken when he was too young, Peter had been 14 when he died, Mikey was only 12 when he was taken. They kept him because he looked so similar to the real Peter, because he was so obedient and so caring for his little sisters.

"Was I declared dead?" Mikey suddenly asks and I look down at my little brother, laying on my lap with a blanket wrapped around him. He couldn't see what I was looking at on my mobile, but something told me he already knew.

"You weren't" I say, shaking my head. "Mostly that's only after 7 years"

"But they did stop looking" Mikey whispers, but no blame was present in the statement. I nod slightly again, feeling guilty despite him obviously not blaming us, or the police. Or the fact that we literally couldn't do anything to change their minds.

"They did a few weeks, but they never removed you from the system, so if anything would come up again they would start looking" I try to comfort him and he smiled slightly.

"Like Rachel showing up at the police station?" He asks, looking at me with bright blue eyes. I snort, nodding with a smile on my face, but Mikey frowns suddenly. "I didn't write all the names y'know" He mumbles, and for a second I'm lost, confused what he was referring to.

"The 6 names?" I ask and Mikey nods.

"Eisley wrote Jane's name on the wall, just a day after I was kidnapped" He says and I can feel my breath hitch in my throat.

"Eisley?" I ask carefully and Mikey frowns slightly again, nodding.

"She was the first Maddy I met, the middle child."

"And Jane was your first Jessy?" I guess and he nods, still frowning slightly.

"I didn't know Jane though, she died before I got to know her"

21st November, 2009. 16:58

"No. No no no!" I cried out as the woman opened the fence before me, as the man continued to shove me down the stairs. My legs felt weak, numb and yet they trembled with each step. "Please let me go" I sobbed, feeling tears stream down my face but they didn't react, faces without any emotion.

I was pushed through the hallway before another door was opened to my right and I was thrown inside.

"Behave yourself Peter" The woman frowned before closing the door behind me.

"NO!" I scream, lunging for the door and banging my fists against it. Pain shot through them but I couldn't care less, didn't even feel it to be honest.

"They're not going to let you out" A small voice suddenly spoke and I whirled my head around, facing two other girls. My eyes widen, one was sitting on her knees, on the ground with her back turned to me but her head facing me. Another girl, younger than the other, was on the bed, looking sick.

There was a blanket draped on top of her, but still she was shivering.

"W-Who isn't? What i-is going on.." I hiccup, taking an involuntary step backwards. The girl sighs, looking so calm despite the situation. _Was she one of them? Did she belong to the ones that took me?_

"You need to calm down first" She told me, an urgent yet quiet voice. "What's your name?"

"M-Mikey" I whisper, and the girl nods slowly, standing up and walking over to another bed, pushing it off the wall.

"Come here" She waves and I hesitantly take a step forwards, before walking over to the wall. "I know this is a lot to take in for you, but just stay calm okay? I will explain everything" She tells me, gesturing me to sit down on the bed, on the side that was facing the wall. My knees barely fit between the bed and the wall.

"W-why are you h-here, who are you?" The girl looks down, sighing before she looks up to me.

"I'm Eisley, and that's Jane" She tells me, closing her eyes again. "But to _them_ we are Madilyn and Jessy, they think we are their children"

"And me?" I almost squeak and Eisley smiles gently at me, even though she was roughly the same age as me.

"You're their eldest, Peter Lewis. Don't correct them if they address you with it, they don't like it when their kids rebel. Apparently theirs were saints before they got murdered" Eisley murmurs, looking at me. I nod but I don't dare to speak.

"Write down your name on this list, and put a P behind it." She instructs, pointing at the list that was already there.

"Why?" I ask.

"So you won't forget who you are, so people will know you've been here if they find this place" Eisley tells me calmly.

"And the other list" I whisper, pointing at the other list of names, almost identical to the first one, except Jane and Eisley weren't on that list. Eisley sighs, looking down but putting a hand on the names, her fingers ghosting over the last name 'Colton P'. P for Peter. _I wasn't the first one?_!

"Those are the ones before you, before me. Those who didn't make it."

"I don't get it" I whisper and Eisley nods, standing up and sitting next to me.

"Peter, Maddy and Jessy were 3 siblings who were kidnapped, they died, were murdered, 3 years ago. It drove the parents mad because they were sent the remains. Ever since they have been kidnapping others to resemble their kids"

"How do you know, did they tell you?" I ask but Eisley shakes her head.

"The first Peter, 3 years ago, was someone who knew the real Peter. They were best friends and the parents knew him, knew he was like Peter, so they took him. He told the first Maddy and Jessy they took, siblings who looked nothing like the real ones, but the parents were desperate" Eisley explained and I nod.

"How old.. are you?" I ask hesitantly, and Eisley sighs, taking my hand and directing me to the wall. I understand what she was trying to do, write my name. So I wouldn't be forgotten. But it didn't matter right? Dad was going to find me and take me home, my brothers would never stop looking for me.

But I didn't say, I just sat down and accepted the sharp rock Eisley gave me and started carving my whole name. Full name. Michelangelo "Mikey" Hamato. The others had done so as well, put their nicknames in there as well sometimes.

"I'm 13 by the way, Jane's 9" Eisley mutters and I look up at her, frowning.

"I'm only 12, why am I the oldest?" I ask but Eisley shakes her head.

"Peter was 14, Maddy was 12 years old, those ages aren't that far apart. I've been here since I was 11, but they don't always bring someone home who's the exact right age" Eisley explains, sighing. "Either way, we still age, and they don't always kill us when we get older, their children would've aged" She shrugs, whirling her head around as the other suddenly starts to cough.

She stands up, walking back to her without saying anything. I finish writing my name, looking at the other names above me. Jane was the last one to be added, she was above me, Colton was above her, a Peter, but a few names were between him and Eisley. I carefully stand up, pushing the bed back in its place.

"What is wrong with her?" I ask softly and Eisley looks at me with sorrow in her eyes.

"In a minute" She tells me, helping Jane sit up and brining a water bottle to her lips. Jane's eyes were half open, not really seeing anything it seemed like. I don't know how long it took before Jane fell asleep again, and Eisley put her down, but it was too long for my liking. She was just a little girl.

Eisley sighs, wiping her face with her sleeve before walking over to me and dragging me to the bed farthest away from Jane. She fully climbed onto the bed, sitting in a cross-legged position.

"She got hurt when Colton, the previous Peter, tried to escape. The wounds… they're infected. Without going to the hospital, I don't think she will make it"

"You mean… she will die?" I whisper, eyes going wide. Eisley sighs, but there was no annoyance in it, just sadness.

"Better get used to it Mikey, she won't be the last"

21st November, 2009. 20:00

It was hours later when I heard a door suddenly opened, followed by footsteps and our door opening. I look up, tears blurring my vision slightly but I blink a couple of times before the image of the man appears. The man who took me away from my family. I could feel myself tearing up again but I grit my teeth, willing the tears away.

The man glanced to me, longer that I'd like, quickly glancing at Eisley and Jane before stepping into the room and carrying a plate, placing it on the table that was in the middle of the room.

"W-Wait!" I stammer, standing up and walking over to the man, or at least, I tried to. The moment I had uttered the sentence, I felt something pull me back to the bed, Eisley's arm around my arm.

"Stay down" She hisses, her eyes on the man in front of her.

The man glances at me, a frown on his face before he turned around, closing the door but to my surprise, he didn't lock it. I heard the metal gate being shut, locked before the noises died down. Eisley had long told me that they had soundproofed the entire basement, everything above this level was completely separated from us.

"Don't approach him, you're going to get yourself killed" Eisley hisses, releasing me. I stand up slowly, looking at the door.

"He didn't lock it" I whisper and Eisley nods with a sigh, standing up as well and walking over to the door, opening it.

"C'mon" She whispers, glancing back at Jane for a moment before walking through the door. I stood there for a split second, hesitant to go out but eventually I followed her. We entered the same hallway I was dragged through when I first arrived. I swallow thickly, walking over to the gate that held us captive, resting my fingers on top of it.

Eisley didn't say anything, didn't make a sound except for when she slowly walked over to me after a while, placing a hand on my shoulder. She smiled sadly at me, gesturing for me to follow her again. I nod, complying. The hallway wasn't that long, the first door on the right led to our room.

As far as I could call it _our_ room, or _my_ room.

On the other side of the door was another door, and Eisley opened that one carefully, showing a single toilet and a sink.

"They keep this one unlocked most of the time, water is drinkable" She tells me, closing the door before I could really take a good look. "That door over there is the bathroom, they keep it electronically locked most of the time" She points at the door at the end of the hallway, the opposite of the doorway back up.

 _To freedom_.

"Why?" I ask and Eisley just shrugs.

"You never know with those nutjobs" She says, pointing to the door that was to the right of the bathroom, on the same side as the big room. "There are two more rooms over there with two beds. If they don't want you with the rest they will put you in there. Don't do anything stupid to get in there" She warns me, turning around and gesturing to the door again.

I took the hint, slowly walking into the common room again, eyeing at Jane with guilt in my eyes. She seemed weak, fragile as she lay there. Her face, white as the sheets she was laying in, didn't hide the fact that she was obviously dying.

"How are you so chill?" I whisper as Eisley closes the door behind her and she eyes at me with an empty gaze.

"Don't get attached to anyone here, they all die eventually" She murmurs, looking at Jane before crawling into one of the bed, the best she had obviously claimed as her own, and the bed that was hiding the names.

I numbly look around, not seeing a light switch or anything so I mimic Eisley's actions, crawling into the only bed that was still available. I curled up in a tight ball, covering myself almost completely with the blanket to make sure nobody would hear my cries of anguish, my cries of wanting to go home.

And to _try_ and block out the cries of pain coming from the dying girl in the same room.

TMNT

Next chapters we'll see more about Mikey's years in that basement! Thank you all for reviewing and so on :D


	4. Chapter 4

May 23rd, 2014. 13:52

"Any particular reason you do not share this with your family?" The woman asks softly, and I look up, staring for a few moments before shrugging.

"I don't know to be honest" I answer, looking at the woman in front of me. The room was empty of anyone but us. The room felt safe, filled with nothing interesting but the basic furniture, and yet it made me feel safe. The woman was looking at me with curious eyes and she nodded softly.

She had dark auburn hair and a few, barely visible, freckles in the bridge of her nose and around her cheekbones. She looked younger than she actually was, which at her age was considered a compliment. 42 years old but barely passing for 35.

"Are you afraid of their reactions?" She questioned softly and I shrug again.

"Not necessarily" I say and she looks at me with a small smile on her face, urging me to continue. "I'm afraid to hurt them by telling. I don't want to upset them"

"You are kind spirited Mikey" She comments and I crack a smile. "But sometimes it's better to be selfish, put yourself in front of others."

"Even if I hurt them?" I whisper, shrinking into the couch slightly as I stared at my therapist in front of me. Melissa seems to be thinking for a split second, almost like she was unsure of what to say next before she nods.

"I can be last person to tell you what to do, or not to do. But it will help you and them, it will help all of you to heal from this trauma" I frown slightly, uncurling my legs from under me and stretching them as pins and needles were starting to attack my legs right now. I wasn't even wearing shoes right now.

I've only been talking to her for a week, but she had quickly reassured me that I had to make myself at home here. Her kind and caring presence had obviously helped with reassuring me that I could relax here, because I had no problem following her orders of making myself at home in her study.

"It will help them?" I question after a short silence and Melissa nods again.

"By talking to them you will build up a bond of trust, you will open yourself up to your family so they can heal you, and in turn heal themselves"

"Make myself vulnerable you mean" I suddenly scowl but Melissa is unfazed by the sudden mood swing and I dig my nails into my arms in frustration. Melissa knew of the mood swings I often had. Which were, luckily, not nearly as bad to be anything close to a disease. The mood swings were to be expected.

Especially how I spent my last 4 years caring about every single girl that entered the basement, and subsequently, my life.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing Mikey. Not if you open up to your family." Melissa tells me and I take a breath. "And you already told them about Eisley" I tense significantly at the name, feeling my nails dig even deeper into my flesh and Melissa gently reaches forwards, placing a soft hand on my hand.

I slowly relax again, my nails leaving my flesh again. She doesn't comment on it, just waits for me to say something. But the names were still a sore subject to me, it only reminded me of that place.

"Only the first day, I only told them about Eisley showing me around the basement. Not about Jane… "

"Then why don't you?" She asks me softly and I look up again, feeling tears burn in my eyes.

"Because I'm scared to relive it again"

November 22nd, 2009. 08:15

"Jane?" I whisper softly, trailing the back of my finger along her cheek softly. She blinks softly, dull eyes looking at me but she didn't answer or react in any way other than opening her eyes for now. "She's getting worse" I whirl around, fear seeping through my face. My heart was beating painfully in my chest.

Eisley initially didn't respond, but eventually stood up. "Don't get too attached Mikey, she won't make it till the next week probably" She warned me and I frown, eyes following her closely as she picked up a bottle of water and threw it over to me.

I ignore her remark, turning back to Jane again and carefully unscrewing the lid while still holding her up. I elevated her a bit more and her eyes cracked open again, blinking a few times before her gaze rested on the bottle in front of her.

"'Not thirsty" She whispered- no, croaked, turning her head away as if the sight was making her sick.

"You have to drink something Jane" I urge her but she doesn't even respond anymore. I sigh, laying her on the bed again and taking a few sips myself. I glanced at Eisley, who was looking at me with sharp eyes. I turn my head away from her again, facing Jane instead. But after a few seconds I stand up.

I couldn't bear looking at her face, not while I knew she was dying. I knew I was being selfish, but she was dying over there.

I glance around the room a couple of times, but there was barely anything in the door. The three beds, the small table with 3 chairs, and the closet above Jane's and Eisley's bed that was still locked. There wasn't anything to do except sit around and do nothing, take care of Jane.

"Why wouldn't they be worried?" I ask suddenly and I know, without looking, that Eisley hadn't looked either.

"Don't try to find any logic, there won't be any" She mumbled.

"How come?" I ask and she sighs, a short silence following.

"Because they're crazy. There's not logic because of that. One day they will lock the door, or lock the closet, one day they won't. One day they will care for you, nurse you when you're sick, other times they won't." She stopped for a second, and I look at her. "One time they will find a child that looked like theirs, other times they won't"

TMNT

November 22nd, 2009. 18:42

"Jane?" I ask softly, shaking her little body slightly. Still, she didn't respond. "Jane?" I ask again, shaking her a bit harder but she made no movement, no sign of waking up. My blood ran cold, and I could feel my head spinning violently, stomach turning at the mere thought. She couldn't be.

My hands were shaking as I brought one up to her wrist, placing a finger on the inside of his wrist.. but I couldn't detect any heartbeat. I choke on my own breath, hand trailing to her neck. It was agonisingly quiet, and no heartbeat could be felt beneath my fingers, no sign of life at all.

 _She was dead_.

"Eisley!" I scream, whirling around. The girl looks up quickly, sitting in the corner of the room with a book in her hands. Her eyes immediately landed on Jane's lifeless body and her eyes just went dead, numb, disconnected. She closed her book softly, standing up carefully and making her way over to me.

She glanced at me for a second before kneeling down in front of the bed, grasping Jane's arms and placing them on top of her own stomach. She then slid her arms under her knees and back, hosting her up.

"What are you doing?" I croak, looking up at the two girls. Eisley didn't spare me a glance, walking over to the door and awkwardly opening it. She turned left, _towards the stairs leading upstairs_ , there was a short silence before she entered the room again, _without the little girl, without Jane_.

"What have you done?" I demand, jumping up. She glared towards me.

"What needs to be done Mikey" She snapped but I furiously shook my head, sprinting past her out of the room. There she was. My eyes widened, staring at the dead body that was just in front of the gate separating us from _them._ Eyes closed, and looking peaceful. But still dead as could be.

And left to rot so disrespectfully.

"You don't care?!" I could feel myself cry out in rage, turning back and storming back into the room. "You don't care that she died at all?!" I continue, walking straight at her and shoving her backwards.

Eisley frowns in anger. "She died Mikey, what do you want me to do? Hold a service?" She retorted, still calm and collected. I can feel anger and frustration coursing through my body.

"Of course not! But you just don't care do you? You didn't care about her, didn't comfort her when she was dying, when she needed the comf-"

"And that's where you are wrong Mikey, I do care" She hisses, narrowing her eyes.

"You are leaving her in the hallway, you didn't comfort her when she cried, how is that caring?!"

"I cared for her! I cared for all of them okay?!" She lowers her voice, still glaring at me with tears in her eyes. "But I cared enough, I cared too much for this place. Everyone dies here eventually so why bother getting attached?"

There was a long silence between us, and neither of us were willing to admit defeat. Angry tears were streaming down Eisley's cheeks and I could feel them burning in my eyes as well.

"Take my advice now Mikey, don't get attached, it will hurt you too much. Jane hurts me, Colton hurt me… but the others I connected with.. the others I cared about" She stops for a second, furiously wiping away her tears. "They are still hurting, they make my heart ache. _That's_ why I don't care about them anymore, and that's why I won't care about you"

May 23rd, 2014. 15:02

"That's horrible" Don whispers and I look up with fearful eyes, not bothered by the tears streaming down my face.

"The worst part is.. she was right." I whisper, turning away from my family again. "Every Maddy, every Jessy that died hurt so much I thought I'd die from sadness."

"But you still loved everyone of them" Melissa softly asks and I nod, looking around the room. Everyone was here, Don, Raph, Leo, dad but also Melissa. And they had just heard everything that had happened up to Jane's death, and just shortly afterwards.

"I loved everyone of them to make sure they felt safe, to make sure they wouldn't feel as lonely as I did those first 2 weeks-" I stop myself, shaking my head. "How I felt every day, all those years. I tried to be their big brother, family. But every time someone died… " I stop again, wiping away my tears and looking up.

I could see Leo nod, sadness written so clearly on his face. He understood the story was over, he understood that I didn't want to continue with this topic. But I also knew that he understood what I was trying to say. Eisley never showed affection for either of us, for the Jessy that followed.

And in return, I loved every Jessy and Maddy that came after Jane and Eisley respectively to prevent _them_ from feeling as alone as I felt. Hurting myself, the hurt Eisley protected herself from by distancing herself.

"What happened to the body?" Melissa asks softly and I look at her, taking a deep breath.

"They took her away when they brought our food, I don't know what happened after"

Melissa is silent for a moment, nodding slightly as she quickly wrote something down.

"You said.. you said you felt lonely the first 2 weeks before you corrected yourself. What happened after those 2 weeks?" Her voice was still kind, and low, a care in her voice that I hadn't expected from someone like her, someone whose job was listening to damaged teens every day.

But she seemed to connect on a personal level. I knew it was bull, but she made me feel safe.

"I got sick after 2 weeks" I mumble, rubbing my hands together anxiously. "I guess it was from the stress, I didn't feel well a week after Jane's death. I couldn't sleep, I kept seeing her pale face. So I got sick after 2 weeks"

I swallow thickly, surprised at myself for being so open about everything. But it felt so liberating at the same time, telling my family and having them known everything. I wanted to tell them I realised, I wanted them to know. But at the same time I could feel my heartbeat rising, speeding up.

"Eisley mostly ignored me, only helped me with necessary things like feeding me, food, water, making sure I went to the toilet. But it got worse, so bad that the parents took me upstairs with them to make sure I wouldn't die"

I could hear both Don and Leo gasp in surprise, and a look of sadness crossed over dad's face. Raph.. he was just angry at my confession. A confession that I almost died in the first 2 weeks. Little did they know there would be more instances where I could've died, where I should've died. I'm just glad I didn't, both for the sake of returning to my family.

But the biggest reason, at least during the last 4 years, making sure no other Peter would be kidnapped, and to make sure I wouldn't leave the girl alone, make sure they wouldn't get a Peter like Eisley, cold and distant. One who wouldn't hold them during a nightmare, one who wouldn't sing them to sleep or comfort them.

One who loved them unconditionally.

"What happened Mikey?" Melissa urged me gently and I blink a couple of times, suddenly realising I had been quiet for some time. I swallow again, looking up.

"The put me in a tub to get my temperature down, washed me.. I-I don't really remember much of it. But I know they left me alone in a room. That's why Rachel escaped, I knew she'd be left alone if she got sick and taken upstairs. Didn't know if they'd take her upstairs though" I shrug uncomfortably.

"What happened?" Don asks softly and I sigh.

"She was treated like I was, and when they left her alone, she used the knife we got to open the locks." I explain, bowing my head. "It took me 2 days to get better, or at least good enough to be sent back down again. And when I got down… they had already found a replacement for Jane… Emelia"


	5. Chapter 5

7th December 2009. 19:15

My legs still didn't want to corporate entirely correctly, but at least I could walk on my own again. My legs felt like jelly when I walked down the stairs and my head was spinning, not to mention how fast my heart was racing the closer I got to the gate. I wanted to run, scream, fight back against them.

But I knew I was too weak to do so.

So I painfully watched as the man unlocked the gate, stepping aside before the woman pushed me forwards. I stumbled into the hallway, eyes flickering uneasily to the door before the man nods, gesturing me to go inside. I obey, walking into the room.

 _I freeze_. For a moment I'm stuck in the doorway, eyes glued to the bright green eyes staring back at me. _A new girl, another girl, another Jessy...another one since Jane died_. I swallow harshly, only moving when I felt a hand on my back. I take quick steps into the room, whirling around so fast I almost lost my balance.

"Did you finish your homework Maddy?" The woman asks, and Eisley grinds her teeth, nodding and handing the woman something. The woman sighs, not directly reading it but Eisley seems on edge, muscles tightened in anticipation.

"I really hope you did better honey" She says, turning around. "I really do" She murmurs, closing the door behind her. Nobody dared to breathe a word until the gate was locked and the footsteps were gone. We were left alone again. My thoughts were scrambled, not knowing what to do right now.

 _Why had they been so nice all of a sudden? Why hadn't they helped Jane when she was dying? Not to mention the comment the woman made about Eisley performing better this time, or the new g-_

I stop immediately, whirling around again to look at the girl, huddled on what used to be Jane's old bed, _Eisley must've told her that this was her bed_ , and eyes red.

"Hey, what's your name?" I ask softly, walking over to her while ignoring Eisley's glare. I wasn't going to ignore the new girl like Eisley ignored me. She looks up to me warily as I sit down next to her on the bed.

"Emelia" She whispers and I try to smile through the fatigue, my body still fighting off the last bits of the sickness.

"How old are you Emelia?" I ask, and she scans me for a moment.

"I'm seven years old" My breath hitches slightly at the reveal, she was just 7 years old. She was too young, everyone was way too young here. Nobody was supposed to be here in the first place. "What is going on?" She whispers softly, looking at me with desperate eyes. Probably the same expression I had a few weeks ago.

But how could I possibly explain to her what was going on? Was I supposed to be honest with her? I knew I was, I knew she deserved to know the truth but she was just 7 years old. I didn't want to hurt her by telling her, didn't want to upset her.

"I-I… Emelia, some people took you, and us-"

"Bad people?" She whispers, and I nod painfully. "They took me from mommy" Tears were back in her eyes again and I reached out gently, pulling her against my side. She instantly buried her face in my side, shaking.

"It's going to be alright Emi, you have us… you have me" I correct myself after a short silence and I can see Eisley shooting daggers at me but I ignore it. I knew it wasn't fair to drag her through the mud like that but at times like these, we couldn't be selfish. We couldn't be loners to avoid getting hurt.

We had to stick together.

"I'm Mikey by the way" I whisper and she looks up to me, blinking innocently before her expression falls again.

"I want to go home" She whispers sadly, fresh tears streaming down her face. I sigh sadly.

"I know Em, I do too" I say, rubbing her side gently. I stayed with her the whole night, pushing back the thoughts of making her ill as well with my ever decreasing fever. I allowed her to use me as a human pillow, allowed her to snuggle against me as she cried the whole night until she fell asleep.

At one point Eisley had gotten up and crawled into her own bed, but she shot me a glance, a tiny smile of appreciation. I didn't return it, closing my eyes and trying to sleep. I knew I was being unfair to her. She just showed me she was grateful I looked after Emelia, when she wouldn't.

But I was still mad.. disappointed at her for turning her back on Jane, on Emelia. But I kept reminding myself that hatred wouldn't get us through this. So I tucked the blanket around the small figure of Emelia, smiling as she pressed her face in my side with a content smile on her own.

And for once in my life I was the big brother.

8th December 2009. 14:59

"What did she mean yesterday, with the homework?" I ask, leaning back against the wall of the hallway, the moment Eisley walks past me. She stops, turning around with an angry expression on her face but she bit her lip in hesitation before sighing. She walked over to me, sitting down on the ground next to me.

"Maddy was apparently some reading genius... " She stops herself, looking down. "I'm not"

"You can't read?" I ask softly and she shakes her head almost hesitantly.

"Not necessarily, let's just say it isn't my favourite thing to do" She murmurs and I nod absently. She looks at me with a blank expression. "What are you waiting for?" She asks after a silence and I look at her with a grim look on my face.

"Emi is taking a shower, I wasn't sure if I could leave her alone" Eisley turns her head towards the end of the hallway, probably only noticing the sound of running water just now. She shakes her head after a while, standing up.

"Just remember she will probably not make it till next year, but I think you've made up your mind already" She tells me, lingering for a moment. I nod slowly.

"I'm not going to abandon her" There was a slight hint of anger in my voice but it didn't seem to affect Eisley at all. She just shrugged, turning from me and walking over to the bathroom.

8th December 2009. 18:26

"Don't speak to them" I whisper, holding Emelia close as footsteps continuously came closer. Eisley watched me warily but I ignored her, drawing Emelia a bit closer to me. She was shuddering in my embrace but her eyes were firmly on the door.

All too sudden the door opened, revealing the woman. Her eyes landed on Emelia immediately, and she smiled. The smile seemed genuine but it still creeped me out.

"Hon, can you help us upstairs?" She asks, her eyes clued on the little girl in my arms. I stiffen. The woman frowns at the lack of response. "Jessy?" She asks and I could feel Em opening her mouth.

"My na-" She starts but I immediately clamp my hand on top of her mouth, shaking my head. She looks at me with fearful eyes and I slowly release my hand.

"Peter, release your sister" The woman frowns, and so do I before my gaze turns into a glare. "Jessy, come here this instant" The woman suddenly snaps and Em jolts out of fear, body rigid from fear. That seemed to snap her out of the fantasy world she was living in, with her perfect children.

Before I could blink, she started walking over to us, completely ignoring Eisley on her way. I couldn't even comprehend it myself but before I knew it I had shoved Em behind me, standing up. Then, even surprising me, I felt something hit my cheek. The sheer force, and maybe the surprise, behind it sent me crumbling to the ground.

I could hear Emi cry out before I even hit the ground, and I hit hard. My head connected with the ground and for a second black spots were blocking my vision. The next thing I heard was Emelia cry out as the woman grasped her arm.

"I will be coming back for you" The woman spit my way, eyes blazing with venom as she dragged Emelia out of the room. The girl tried her best to walk along but she mostly stumbled by the force the woman dragged her away. And before I knew what was really happening, I heard the fence close.

I wince, trying to lessen the pounding in my head, slowly standing up. The only thing I could focus on was Eisley's terrified expression.

"Idiot" She cursed, standing up and walking over to me. I blinked a couple of times at the sudden worry she was expressing. "You big idiot" She hisses, brushing back my hair and retracting her fingers. Red crimson was on her fingers and she glared right back at me.

"I told you not to intervene" She hissed again, shoving me backwards before she took a hesitant step backwards. I could only blink. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Despite the situation, I couldn't help the smile that was tugging on my lips. "My older brother Raph" I state but Eisley doesn't seems to be humoured by my reaction, frowning instead.

"You better hope the man isn't home" She continues but the moment she said it, as if she was speaking of the devil, the door was heard opening, quickly followed by the gate. My eyes widen immediately when the man appeared, an absolute furious expression on his face, glaring at me.

"What did I tell you about making our life difficult?!" He hisses, stalking over to me and grabbing my hair. I cry out in pain, the sound cut off by an arm connecting to my side. I gasp, knees buckling before giving out completely.

"Stop!" I cry out, but the man above me didn't relent, ripping the belt from his pants before lashing out.

9th December 2009. 8:56

"Mikey?" The voice was distant, distorted. I groan, body slowly starting to tinkle. I heard the voice again, but I couldn't comprehend what the one speaking was saying. The tingling continued, uncomfortable. I try to move, but for some reason my body seemed to have locked up completely.

"Wake up" _Eisley?_

A hand was placed on my shoulder and suddenly I realised why my body was tingling before. I cry out in pain, it felt like I had been set on fire, pain washing over me. It seemed to crash into my like a tsunami wave and I shuddered, withering on the ground like a snake before I felt two strong hands pushing me down.

My eyes flew open and I gasp, somehow out of breath. The first thing I saw were the worried eyes of Emelia, looking down at me with tears in her eyes. Pain almost completely forgotten I quickly scan her. She didn't seem to be injured, just scared. _For me_.

"Welcome back" Eisley grimaces and I blink a couple of times. Pain was still pulsing through my body but it was manageable. I look around, suddenly realising I wasn't in the main room. It was a small room, a bed barely fit into the room, and next to it was an open space. It was probably just big enough to put a second bed in but the space was used as a path.

"Where.. where are we?" I mutter and Eisley grimaces.

"We're in the two spare rooms, they didn't want you with us last night" She explains. I frown, realising where I was suddenly. The two rooms Eisley had told me about the first day I was here. If they didn't want us to be together during the night, or during the day, they'd lock us up in either of two small rooms.

The man had probably dragged me to the room.

"Can you stand?" Em softly asks and I nod, wincing slightly. Everything burned, put I pushed past it nevertheless. I slowly rose to my feet, and I felt Eisley snake an arm around me, helping me stand. I sent her a grateful smile but she just shook her head. As if she was telling me this didn't mean anything.

 _She would still try to not care_.

I could feel Emelia's stare, burning into my back but I just kept focusing on getting to the room again. Eisley helped me sit down on the bed and I sigh in content, allowing the soft material below me ease the pain. I had slept on the floor after all, worsening the pain I was feeling, even if I was unconscious for most of it.

"What happened?"

"He beat you for being disobedient, I told you to stay out of the way" Eisley almost snapped but the biting tone was more than evident. Instead of answering I turn my gaze towards Emelia, who had tears in her eyes, threatening to spill. And I had no way to distract her… that is until I saw the wall.

"Hey Emi" I call out, catching her attention. She sniffles slightly, wiping away the tears as if nothing had happened. _Did she cry often?_ "Can you be a strong girl for me and push that bed away from the wall?" I ask, pointing to the bed. She frowns for a moment, reluctantly standing up before pushing the bed from the wall.

The bed wasn't heavy at all. It was a cheap bed after all, the bare minimum in terms of materials. Even the mattress was thin. The two list of names were exposed and I grimace for a moment.

"Can you write your name?" I ask and she nods, I stand up. My legs were shaking, pain intensifying but I walked over to the space between the bed and the wall, sitting down. She unconsciously walked over to me and I smiled despite the situation. _She trusted me_. I gestured her to sit down, which she did.

"Write down your name below mine" I whisper, nudging her side gently. She nodded shyly again and I lean back against the bed, closing my eyes for a moment. Moments later I opened my eyes again, only to see her done with writing her name. The letters were big, but I expected nothing less from someone her age.

"Put a J behind it" I tell her. A _J_ for Jessy. Just like my name had a P behind it for Peter. And somewhat up the list was Eisley with the letter _M._

"What now?" She asks softly and I turn around to watch Eisley. She immediately turned her head away from me, but she must've realised I had caught her staring at us and she turned her angry gaze back to me.

"Are there any games here?" I ask and she nods curtly, looking over at the closet that was behind us. In the corner where the two beds were pushed against. "Can you pick one?" I ask her and Emi nods jerkily, jumping to her feet. I frown slightly at the movements, something was off with her.

She seemed anxious around me, and yet seemed to be clinging to me at the same time. But both reactions still too minimal to be truly suspicious. And to be fair, I didn't really want to think about it for now, not her behaviour, not Eisley's distaste for the subject of homework and her reading skills.

All that mattered was the fact that we had been kidnapped. That I missed my family. I moved unconsciously back to the bed again, leaning against the closet behind me with a pillow in between my back and the piece of furniture. I was tired, emotionally that is. My body throbbed in pain, and I just wanted to go home.

Em crawled into the same bed, having chosen a game to play. I really didn't pay attention that much, not too focused on winning or enjoying.

The only thing that mattered was the smile on Em's face as she forgot, albeit for a moment, where she was.


	6. Chapter 6

June 4th, 2010. 22:10

"What's wrong?" Eisley asks, glancing at Em for a moment to see if she was still asleep. Luckily for us though, Em was a heavy sleeper. I look up, unable to hide the tears on my face, or the marks on the wall behind me.

"Fireworks" I mutter and Eisley looks up, as if she was able to see them. But we had no windows, hadn't seen daylight in months. "It's the fourth of July probably… the fireworks" I mutter, trying to dry my eyes off. I shudder while taking a breath, trying to get my tears under control.

Eisley seemed to be as confused as ever and I sigh, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Me and my bros would always watch the fireworks together with dad, it reminds me… that I'm not with them" I mutter, looking up. "And I realise how long I've been here" I continue. Understanding bleeds through Eisley's features and she nods, looking up for a second as well.

"I get that feeling" She mutters but shakes her head. "Just don't try to count days, or you'll lose your mind." She continues, lingering for a few moments before turning around in her bed, pulling the blanket over herself. I was left alone, Em was, thankfully, still sleeping. I didn't want her to see me cry right now.

I had to be strong for her. And Eisley obviously didn't want to talk. I sigh again, leaning back against the wall before I frown slightly. _We had written our names down, why not the dates?_ It would be impossible to do every day, or every month. Without anything exciting we could never be sure.

But fireworks meant either of two things, the fourth of July and New Year's Eve. This was the second time I had heard fireworks since I got here. I softly crawl out of my bed, lingering for a few moments before pushing my bed to the side slightly before I sat down.

I didn't think much as I began to carve the wall, I carefully wrote the 21st of November 2009 on the wall. I still remembered, I would never forget that date. I wrote New Year's Eve 2009-2010 down, before carving the 4th of July 2010 down. I smile slightly, this would help me. I would know where I was in time.

So I wouldn't forget how long I had been gone, and hopefully not forget who I was. I glance over to Em's sleeping form, her expression peaceful luckily. Despite the situation, she could still sleep peacefully. Eisley had her face turned away from me, but I knew she wasn't asleep yet.

She always had trouble sleeping here, fear of what was to come. The couple wasn't very kind to her, harsh. Maddy was the smartest out of the three, and Eisley wasn't. I sigh, crawling into my bed again but sitting down with my back against the wall, knees drawn to my chest.

I couldn't do anything to help her. She didn't help me, tried to not care about me, and yet, I couldn't help myself. I could only care about her, I could only hope to protect her to the best of my ability until either of us would be gone.

My fingers softly crawled to my side and I wince at the imaginary pain, the few scars that have remained. It hadn't been my last beating when they tried to take Em. But I had no one else to blame but the real Peter. Who wouldn't listen to words, who would only listen to actions.

It hadn't been abuse back then, or at least that what Eisley had told me, and even that information has been passed down numerous other kids. Hits, but nothing too painful, and definitely not enough to bruise, rip open skin or scar. But I guess, at the same time, I couldn't blame Peter either.

And in a twisted way, Mr. Lewis as well.

Even if he was the reason I hadn't seen my family in over 6 months.

May 25th, 2014. 16:45

"So you knew how long you'd been there?" Leo asks softly and I look at him, nodding.

"I never really listened to Eish when it came to advice like this. It grounded me, kept me sane to know how long I had been there" I swallow. "I mean I know it didn't mean much there but I would be horrified not to know how old I was, how old you were… but I never counted days. I couldn't, even if I wanted to"

I knew they would understood why. Because there were no windows, no sense of time, no sense of night and day. It messed up my rhythm quite badly, and it took some adjusting the first week or so. But it was one of the least problematic things I had to do in the last month, or really in the last 4 years.

"I can imagine, it was one thing that would provide certainty" Don rationalises and I shrug.

"I mean.. having Em around was something that kept me grounded as well, and everyone that followed…" I trail off again, rubbing my arms in an anxious manner.

"Do you know when Eisley died?" Don continues softly, not wanting to scare me. I almost scoff at the idea but I understood nevertheless. The girls had been a touchy subject, but ever since opening up about Jane's death and my first 2 weeks, I felt more relieved and more confident about telling them.

"Not the exact date but it wasn't that long after the fourth of July" I say with a low voice.

August 8th, 2010. 18:26

"Oh no you definitely cheated!" I cry out, laughing as Emelia giggled innocently.

"I wasn't" Em grinned, and I look at her in a challenging manner.

"Are you sure you didn't?" I snicker, but Em is persistent and she shakes her head innocently. "Not even when tickle monster asks?" I ask, but before I give her time to recover I launch forwards. Laughter fills the room as Emelia squirms under me, trying to roll away, get away from my fingers.

I laugh as well, fingers dancing around her sides and continuing to tickle her.

"Are you ready to admit defeat?" I ask, letting her up for a moment. She just grins again and I roll my eyes, poking her sides one more time for good measure. She giggles again, squirming away from me.

"Stop" She laughs and I laugh as well, finally letting her up. She grins, crawling upwards until she was sitting on the bed again instead of laying down. I reach forwards, brushing her hair out of her face. She smiled, and I continue brushing through her hair, carefully untangling the knots that was in it.

I glance upwards, Eisley was sitting on my bed right now, a book clutched in her hands and a frown on her face. But for the whole day she had seemed off, nervous about something. But I had learned soon enough that Eish wanted to be left alone, so I didn't ask her about it and just tried to keep Em company.

"Will you make a braid?" Em asks softly, glancing upwards.

"I don't know how" I say with a frown but she just continues smiling.

"I will teach you" I snicker at the implication, nodding.

"I would like that Em"

An hour or so passed, and Em and I continued to mess with her hair. Trying out new hairstyles she loved and me generally messing them up. But Em loved every minute of it. This only confirmed my previous story, her parents never gave her this love. She was starved for the attention, and she didn't want to show it.

But not matter how hard she tried, she was like an open book to me.

"What was that?" Emelia suddenly whimpered and both Eish and I snap our heads towards the door. Immediately the colour seemed to vanish from Eisley's face and she seems frozen on the spot, _she knew what was going on_. But I had no chance to find out what was wrong with her.

Because before I knew it, the door slammed open, almost tearing out of its hinges.

"Madilyn Adelaine Lewis!" The dad raged, and Eisley whimpered in fear. "What were you thinking?! Getting an F on your test?!" He continued and suddenly I too understood what was going on. _He was mad at Eisley for failing her reading test._

"Dad I'm sorry" She whimpered and I almost flinch at the sentence. _Dad, she called her dad._ But I knew it wasn't sincere, she was trying to calm him down, she tried to play along. To make him less mad. I wrap my arms around Em the moment she whimpers in fear, pressing her close.

"Madilyn would never score an F" He continued, much more calmer this time and I can feel my blood run cold. Eisley seemed to understand as well, eyes widening. _He didn't believe Eisley could be Maddy anymore_. The moment the man reached for his belt I was already running towards him.

"NO!" I cry out, wrapping my arm around his to avoid him from striking. He whirled around, anger dripping from his face and he struck out, hitting my face with his fist. I cry out again, falling backwards and feeling blood drip down my face. But I never felt or heard a crack, which was a minor relief.

"This doesn't concern you Peter" He glares, grabbing Eisley's wrist and hauling her off the bed before dragging her out of the room.

"No" I croak, darting to the door, but it didn't open. "EISH!" I cry out, slamming my hands against the door. The sound of the belt was heard before Eisley cried out, screaming in pain. I slump forwards, feeling tears mix with the blood that was flowing out of my nose. _No_. Another cry of pain.

I was numb as I turned around. Em was staring at me with absolute horror on her face, cringing with every scream of pain. I immediately made my way over to her, sitting next to her and curling myself around her. I shielded her face with my chest, pressing my hands over her ears.

And I endured the screams of pain, I endured everything to ensure Emi wouldn't hear it. I would do anything for her.

I hadn't even realised the screaming had stopped until the door almost soundlessly unlocked itself. I sniffle, wiping the tears away. The tears were red, mixed with the blood that was now mostly dried on my face. I look down at Em, who was still trembling in my hold, tears on her cheeks.

"Stay here, I mean it Em" I say when I took my hands off her ears. And for once, I wasn't kidding, wasn't fooling around. And Emi seemed to understand that, as she nodded. I carefully reach for the blanket, wrapping it around her. I stood up, shakily walking over to the door.

There she was, laying on the ground with blood pooling out of her and knife sticking out of her stomach. My breath hitches in my throat, and I can just think clearly enough to close the door behind me.

"Eish?" I ask and pained eyes travel to mine.

"M-Mi…-" She stops herself, coughing painfully. That seemed to snap me out of whatever daze I was in, and I close the distance between us, falling to my knees. With great care, I carefully host her up softly, placing her on my upper thighs so she was more comfortable.

"Ssssshhhh" I try to shush her, voice hitching. But she just whimpered in pain, blood filling her mouth. I moved slightly and her hand immediately grasped mine.

"Don't go!" She cried weakly, speech slurred because of the blood.

"I'm not going anywhere" I try to assure her, sobbing.

"I-I .. I'm sorry" She stutters, coughing again. She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm s-sorry for shutting you o-out. I c-cared.."

"I know" I whisper back, stroking the side of her face.

"L-Look af...a-after them" She whispers, more blood streaming down the side of her face, and gasping for breath. "Look a-after E-Emi.. look after a-all of-" She cuts herself off, taking a pained breath and closing her eyes.

"Hey hey!" I choke on a sob, squeezing her hand. She weakly squeezed back, opening her eyes just slightly. "I will look after them, after all of them. Every girl that will come. I will them out of here, I will escape" Eish is silent, barely moving as if she was already gone, then a small smile appears on her face.

"Too …. soft f-for ..here" She mutters and I choke out a laugh, tears still streaming down my face.

"You bet" I whisper softly. She keeps staring up at me, tears softly streaming down her face but not saying anything. Her chest heaved, trying desperately to get in enough oxygen and push past the pain. But the struggles lessened every second, every time she took a breath. _She was fading._

I continued to stroke her cheek, and both of us seemed to be fine with the silence. Eisley's hand never left my hand, but her grip loosened ever so slightly as moments passed by.

Another tear was pushed past her eyes, a soft breath pushed out of her lung and she closes her eyes, not opening them. I choke on a sob, waiting for her eyes to flutter open again, waiting for her chest to rise again. But it never came. _She was dead_. The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks, like a physical blow to my chest.

Tears start dripping down my face and before I knew it I'm wailing. I don't care about Emi in the other room right now, I wail. I wail and the only thought I could have was Eisley. I wail loudly, bowing my head and placing my forehead against Eisley's. Sobs wrack through my body, and I'm heaving, trying to get enough oxygen.

 _She was dead_.

 _I failed her._

The door creaked slightly and I shot up, staring at Emi with wide eyes, and before I know it I feel anger bubbling up.

"No! Get back Em!" I cry out, scream almost. Em's eyes widen in fear but she stays rooted. "Em! GO!" I roar and only then does she listen, closing the door. I cry softly, tears intensifying the moment the door was closed. I wail, I wail and wonder how I could still stay conscious with the lack of oxygen.

My chest was burning, loss of oxygen or mourning, I didn't know. I just wailed until I was too exhausted to cry, too exhausted as the tears just wouldn't come anymore.

I was just empty.

I slowly heave myself up, dragging myself to the bathroom. I'm barely aware of my own actions as I fill a bucket with water and retrieve some towels from the storage closet. Her heart had stopped… so no blood was being pumped around her body. The bleeding had seemed to stop almost completely.

I barely remember cleaning her cuts, dragging her from the spot, closest to the gate. I placed her down, legs straight, and hands on her stomach. She seemed almost peaceful, no blood to be seen except for the tiny bit of blood still surrounding her cuts.

Nausea was pooling up when I cleaned the blood, but I bit it down. I only stopped until the floor was spotless. I remember walking back to the bathroom, dumping the red water in the sink before getting rid of my clothes. I stepped into the shower, feeling a tiny bit of relief the moment the blood washes down my body, into the drain.

I don't know how long I had been standing there, but I didn't care.

The only thing that made me stop was the nausea suddenly intensifying. I immediately turned off the water, stumbling out of the shower and dropping to my knees in front of the toilet. I was just fast enough to get my head above the water before my stomach rejected the food in my stomach.

I retch, vomit spewing into the toilet.

Water was still dripping down my whole body, hair still wet, but I didn't care, couldn't care.

I continued retching until nothing was left in my stomach to reject. Then slowly I managed to dry myself off, and suddenly grateful for the parents still providing us with a few set of clothes in the storage room, and washing them every once in a while. And even if I didn't want to see anyone, I dragged myself back to the room.

Even if I didn't want to pass Eisley's body, I walked past it to get to Emi.

Because it wasn't about me anymore, I was the eldest and I was supposed to look after the girls. I had promised Eisley. I promised I would look after them and find a way to escape.

I would look after my little sister, and the other girls that would still come.


	7. Chapter 7

May 28th, 2014. 01:56

I had been awake way before the first scream resonated through the house. Something had woken me up, a gut feeling, intuition of some sorts, I just didn't know. But the reason for my insomnia became clear when the first scream was heard, _that's why I couldn't sleep_. I was worried about my youngest brother.

Immediately I threw away the blanket I was covered in, stumbling towards the door and into the hallway. Another scream was heard, followed by Raph's door opening as well. But I didn't pay attention to the latter, only sprinting past my immediate younger brother and into Mikey's room.

Mikey was tangled up in his blankets, twisting and turning, attempting to tear through the fabric in his struggles. Sweat leaked down Mikey's face in big waves and it was all too evident what was happening, _a nightmare._

"Mikey!" I scream, rushing over to my youngest brother and shaking his form. The latter cries out again in fear, trying to twist himself away from the touch and whimpering. "Otouto!" I stress, shaking Mikey again. In a panicked daze, Mikey's bright blue eyes flutter open, locking onto mine.

"L-Leo?" He stutters, struggling to sit up a bit, and I immediately put a hand on his back.

"I'm here buddy" I speak softly, reaching for Mikey's hand. "I got this" I say softly, turning around to look at the rest of my family standing there. Dad seemed to be the most reluctant one to leave, staring at us for a few moments before eventually nodding and leaving the room.

I turn back to the shaking figure of my little brother.

"You okay?" I whisper, reaching for the water bottle that was standing next to his bed and giving it to him. Shakily he accepts it, taking a hesitant sip before giving it to me again. "Place for one more on the bed?" I ask softly and he nods, not looking at me but instead looking at the wall in front of him.

I take up the invitation, carefully crawling in the bed and slipping under the covers. Not entirely unexpected, but still surprising, he leans against me. I immediately wrap an arm around him, bringing him closer.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I whisper and he tenses slightly.

"You remember Eisley?" He whispers and I frown, looking down at him. His face was badly lit, but I could still see his expression because of the moon making itself known through the window. I nod painfully.

"I remember" _How could I forgot? How could I forget Mikey talking about Eisley being killed?_

"Well the parents.. they got another Maddy after Eish" I nod again, my heart beating painfully. I knew there had to be others afterwards, I knew he had known 3 others. "Irina was my second Maddy, but it was the first time I was the oldest" He spoke softly, casting his head down.

I don't say anything at first, running my fingers lightly across his hand, being careful for his splinted fingers. He looks at me with curious eyes, bruises still showing but so much less than when we just rescued him.

"What was your dream about?" I ask softly, and he sighs, turning his head away from me.

"Her death" He mutters, and I can feel him closing off again, shutting me out. So instead of asking about the dream again, I tried to divert the attention.

"What was she like?" I ask, and Mikey snorts almost instantly.

"Stubborn like Raph" He says, and I almost smile. "I-... I haven't dreamt much about her, I didn't know her that long. I could never get close to her like Emi, she was a bit like Eish. But I think being back.. seeing Raph.. it made me realise how much I compared them back then"

"What did she do?"

Again, Mikey snorts. "She denied everything, refused to believe anything or accept anything. No matter how badly I tried to tell her, how badly I tried to warn her, she kept going head to head with the man especially"

"But she must've been just as scared as you, you know Raph gets scared as well" I whisper and Mikey nods absently. "And she sure appreciated your care" I add but Mikey looks at me with a questionable look.

"Well not exactly at first"

August 12th, 2010. 12:56

"I know Emi, I know" I whisper, stroking her head lightly, ignoring the heat that radiated from her face. She closes her eyes for a moment, leaning into the touch even more until weak coughs wracked through her system. "Just rest okay? You will feel better after sleeping" I continue, bringing the blanket a bit closer to her.

She nods tiredly, closing her eyes but her hand never leaving mine. I sigh, not protesting against the intrusion. If Emi would feel safe holding my hand, I would be the last one to pull it away. Much like me, Em got sick from the stress. It had only been 4 days after Eisley's death, but it hit her just as hard as it hit me.

At first she had just been quiet because she had been scared, for good and obvious reasons, but she slowly started to lack energy to do anything. That's when I realised she was developing a fever.

I wasn't really tired, exhausted mentally, sure, but not tired. So I didn't bother closing my eyes as well, just keeping Emi close to my side as she tried to sleep. I sigh, leaning my head against the closet behind me and feeling tears prick in my eyes.

I blink a couple of times, carefully leaning forwards when the noise of the door opening entered my ears.

"Let me go!" Someone cried out, muffled by the sound of the door between us and the hallway. Something collided with the fence, before it too opened. _Another girl, it was another girl, another Maddy_. I carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Emi in the process.

The door opened, and a girl was thrown into the room, falling onto her knees.

"NO!" She cried out, turning around and rushing at the door, but she was too late. The door slammed shut before her nose and was locked. "Let me out!" She screamed, banging on the door.

"Hey" I try, but she doesn't seem to hear me. "HEY!" I scream again, figuring it didn't matter how loud I was since she was already making too much noise. My shout caught her attention though, and she whipped around with frightened yet furious eyes. Her red hair fell across her face wildly, a result of the struggle probably.

"Who are you?" She asks, a low, threatening undertone in her voice.

"Mikey" I answer softly, slightly taken aback by her tone. "What's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" She asks with a sneer, and I stumble back slightly.

"..Because.. because we need to know each other's names..?" I stutter, frowning slightly.

She stares at me, still slightly glaring. Her eyes slowly travel to Em, and I unconsciously shuffle in front of her, to shield her.

"How do I know you're not one of them?" She asks, eyes narrowing as she sees my movement. I was taken aback again, never even considering this option in the first place. _One of them?_ How could she.. How would that even work? Why would I, as allies of those parents, be here?

Locked up underground with no way out?

"I'm not one of them, we're against our will just like you are" She doesn't respond though, slowly getting up.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" She ask and I have to restrain myself from pinching my nose in frustration.

"Because why would I be here otherwise?" I look down at myself, my pale complexion staring right back at me. "Do I look healthy to you? Does it look like I've been out of his place in the past months?" My voice rose slightly, and her eyes travel to my form. If it wasn't for the sweater, you would surely see my ribs poking out.

We got food, sure, but nothing like snacks or anything. It was mostly healthy, and the required daily intake. No unnecessary fats. They weren't starving us.. and to be honest the food was something we couldn't complain about. But the lack of sun, that was taking a toll on my body.

Or the lack of hunger, that contributed too.

We got the necessary vitamins to survive from _them_ , but it just wasn't the same to stay healthy.

"Where are we?" The girl instead asks, deciding not to continue with our previous conversation. I sigh, shrugging slightly.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was too distressed to notice how much time had passed before the van stopped" I answer, sitting down on the bed again next to Emi. She still watches me warily but eventually nods.

"Irina" She says suddenly and I frown, looking up. "That's my name" She continues and I nod slightly, looking back at Emi, who was looking at me with curious and slightly scared eyes.

"This is Emelia" I tell her, leaning out of the way so Irina could see her. She frowned however.

"What is wrong with her?" She asks but I smile gently.

"Just a fever, she'll be alright" _I think, I hope_.

"What happened to her?" She asks softly, and I sigh pitifully, flashes of blood going through my mind. Puking in the toilet, not sleeping for the night while desperately trying to keep a brave face to soothe Emi. I was the big brother for once, I was supposed to look after her and not show her I was afraid.

Or traumatised.

"It's just a fever, nothing special" I try to assure Irina and she seems to be satisfied with the answer.

September 27th, 2010. 18:59

"Fuck off" Irina hisses, slapping away the hand of the woman, who in turn frowns.

"Maddy?" She asks, genuine surprise in her voice.

"I'M NOT MADDY!" Irina screams right back at her, and I put a hand on her arm, pulling her back harshly.

"Don't" I hiss in Irina's ear but she just glares at me, before directing it towards the woman's direction. Mrs Lewis flinches at the glare, slowly standing up.

"I don't know what I did to deserve such anger from you, but until you can explain yourself there will be no dessert for you, young lady"

"Fine by me" Irina hisses, glaring the entire time the woman left the room. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"You just _had_ to?" I mumble, louder than I anticipated. Irina whirls around, a furious look on her face, and now directed at me.

"They belong in an institution" She shoots back, and I roll my eyes. _As if I didn't know_. "And like hell I am going to pretend I'm their daughter"

"Even if it means surviving?" I counter, but Irina just scoffs, sitting down on what used to be my bed. Ever since Irina had come here, she had slept in my bed, and I had taken the bed near Em's bed, so she would feel safer.

"They're not my parents" She scoffs, and I frown, but I decide not to comment on her behaviour. I sit down on the bed as well, leaning against the wall with my back and looking at Em. In the past months she, we, had been stuck here she had learned quickly enough to ignore our shouting, our arguing.

It happened too often really, but just because Irina was stubborn as Raph sometimes. Or rather, most of the time. I admired how brave she was, how she dared to stand up to _them_. But at the same time, she was pissing them off, and making them angry. Which would only diminish her chance of survival.

To be fair, I was surprised she even made it this far. But one thing was certain.

 _She was going to get herself killed._

 _April_ 5th, 2011. 08:33

To be fair, I had to give _them_ credit for sticking up with Irina so long. Even after she cursed at them, fought them with all she had, they still kept up the pretending.

"You are not Maddy" Her face was stoic, no emotions to be seen anywhere, and a gun pointed at Irina's head.

My breath hitched, too far from Emi to pull her closer, to protect her without moving or drawing attention to myself. But Irina was done, just done. She was too stubborn to obey, too stubborn to just give up. But too broken to care.

She shot forwards with surprising speed, charging at the woman and grabbing the barrel of the gun. Before she could react, Irina wrapped her hand into her wrist, lodging the gun from the woman's grip. She whirled the woman around, an arm around her neck and the barrel pressed against her temple.

The woman's breath didn't even hitch.

"MISTER LEWIS!" Irina screamed, looking at me and gesturing to the door. I immediately hurried to the door, opening it and allowing Irina to push the woman into the hallway. "Get up" Irina hisses, pushing her towards the stairs and forcing her to walk upstairs.

"Em" I stress, and she runs towards me, holding onto my waist. I grab her hand instead, dragging her up the stairs. _We were going to get out_.

"Rosaline?" The man called out, confused, until he saw us four standing there. I look around frantically, it was still an isolated part of the house, but we were finally out of the basement. The man immediately pulled a gun, and Irina moved the woman in front of herself.

"Let us go" She hisses, pressing the gun against the woman's, Rosaline's, temple even harder. An indifferent look spread across the man's face before he slowly, as if his wife's life wasn't threatened at all, moved the gun towards me.

"Go on" The man urged, taking off the safety of his own gun, I shove Em behind me, stiffening at the clicking sound. "Shoot"

"Let us go, or I swear I will shoot her" Irina cursed, but the man shrugged. _Do it_. I found myself urging. _Do it, shoot her._ But I knew that Irina wouldn't be fast enough to shoot the woman _and_ the man. Not before he shot me when Irina would move. But it didn't matter, Irina would shoot the man.

And Em and Irina would both be free.

 _Do it_.

And Irina didn't care about us. She would choose her own life over ours any day. But I was okay with that, getting Em out alive was more important than my own life and safety.

But Irina never shot… she growled low in her throat, lingering her gun for a few more seconds before lifting the gun. _No_. She pushed the woman, glaring at the man while she was at it.

"Don't shoot them" Irina demanded, but the man shrugs.

"Fine" He said, before aiming the gun at her head.

 _BANG_.


End file.
